1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to image processing apparatuses, image processing methods, and programs which decide an area to be processed in an image.
2. Description of the Related Art
Technologies have been known which perform various kinds of image processing on an image such as a document and a photograph displayed on a display screen. For example, there have been known a technology (which may be called trimming or cropping) which designates a partial area in an image as an output target, a technology (which may be called masking) which deletes the partial area, and a technology which changes color and/or brightness of the partial area.
A technology has been known in which a user designates a target area of processing as described above in an image. Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-323241 discloses that a frame (trimming frame) showing a target area of trimming is displayed on an image. In this case, when a user designates a trimming frame and then performs a drag operation thereon, the trimming frame is moved as if it follows the drag operation.
According to the technology in the related art, after a user designates a trimming frame, the trimming frame moves by following a user's drag operation. Thus, a user may be required to perform a drag operation from a position where a trimming frame is displayed within a display screen to a position desired as a trimming target. When the distance to the desired position is long, the area of the trimming target may not be easily designated in some cases.
For example, in moving a trimming frame by using a pointing device such as a mouse, when a distance to a desired position is long, repeating drag operations may be required to move a trimming frame to the desired position. For example, in moving a trimming frame by a drag operation on a touch panel, when a distance to a desired position is long, a user may unintentionally release his/her finger from a touch panel during the drag operation. In this case, another drag operation may be required to move the trimming frame to the desired position.